The stellar performance of innovative products from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area on Time magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2025” list highlights the region’s top-tier strength in the global tech landscape and its immense potential in the highly competitive consumer electronics sector, according to awarded companies and industry experts.

Known as the “Oscars of the technology community”, the annual list, released last week, features the world’s most revolutionary innovations. This year, it includes 300 groundbreaking inventions along with 100 special mentions as supplementary recommendations.

Multiple products from Shen-zhen-based companies and several firms incubated in Dongguan’s Songshan Lake High-Tech Zone made the list, primarily from the consumer electronics sector.

They include telecommunications giant Huawei’s Pura 80 Ultra smartphone and Watch GT 6 Pro smartwatch; intelligent-device maker Transsion’s Tecno Megabook S14 — an iconic laptop that is designed for overseas markets — and new energy vehicle leader BYD’s Seagull model.

Trendy tech products also captured international attention, including Insta360’s Antigravity A1 drone camera; Bambu Lab’s H2D 3D printer and CyberBrick modular toy ecosystem; and Rayneo’s X3 Pro AR glasses.

Four products from the Songshan Lake tech zone also made the list: intelligent cloth-sorting equipment, an infrared hair dryer, home battery storage systems, and stringless guitars.

Other Chinese innovations included DeepSeek’s R1 large-language model, described by Time as the “shot heard ‘round the world” in AI circles, and Unitree’s R1 robot, which embodies science fictions’ vision of robotic life.

Notable international products include Apple’s AirPods Pro 3, Nintendo’s Switch 2 game console, and Nvidia’s DGX Spark workstation that empowers AI computing.

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Insta360 said that its new product — the world’s first panoramic drone, the Antigravity A1 — was recognized in the highly competitive consumer electronics category, joining industry leaders like Apple and Huawei. This achievement highlights how Chinese aerial technologies are making their mark globally.

Unveiled in August and scheduled for release in January, the Antigravity A1 is transforming drone cameras from mere aerial photography tools to immersive platforms that inspire creativity and broaden consumers’ horizons in image production, the company said.

Bambu Lab said that the two products featured on the list reflect its multifaceted innovation approach. The H2D 3D printer, which can print as thin as 0.2 millimeters, could greatly lower the threshold for high-end manufacturing.

In the creative entertainment sector, the CyberBrick kits include modular and 3D-printable parts to build miniature, remote-controlled toys. They are well-suited for STEM education beginners, and advanced-level users seeking a personalized coding experience.

XbotPark, a startup incubation base in the Songshan Lake tech zone behind three listed products, credits its success to nurturing industries with consumer-driven innovation and a new type of engineering education.

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Initiated by Li Zexiang, a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and his team, the base has incubated over 80 hard-tech companies, including six unicorns — startups valued at over $1 billion. It facilitated numerous enterprises in talent cultivation and startup creation, empowering them to become global leaders in niche markets.

XbotPark plans to adhere to this strategy to support the development of new quality productive forces and the upgrading of traditional industries, the base said.

William Wong Kam-fai, a Hong Kong legislator and engineering professor, said that the international recognition is especially noteworthy amid intense global tech competition. It underscores the success of involved companies’ outbound strategies and reflects advancements achieved under challenging circumstances. It is also a direct result of the Greater Bay Area’s sustained focus on technological innovation and increased investment in research and development.

He added that this year, products from some small and medium-sized tech firms in the region won acclaim, covering sectors like home devices, energy storage, and recycling, highlighting the immense potential for technological transformation.

Although Hong Kong’s products were not selected this year, recent international rankings showed that the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou innovation cluster has risen to the top among global counterparts, while Hong Kong universities have improved their standings in the global education landscape, he said.

Building on Professor Li’s bid to establish the XbotPark base in Dongguan, Wong said he looks forward to Hong Kong’s greater role in facilitating the Greater Bay Area’s new wave of innovation.

Zhou Mo contributed to the story.

Contact the writers at bingcun@chinadailyhk.com